Enrollment Deadline For Affordable Care Act Quickly Approaching

During previous ACA enrollment periods in the past two years, more than 7.2 million people had signed up for coverage when the period was nearly 75% complete, according to an analysis by consulting firm Avalere Health. The House, which passed its own tax cut bill in November that didn't include the individual mandate provision, is likely to support the Senate on the issue.

But some health-care analysts say a pledge by Sen. Experts also warn that increased premiums and weakened coverage due to a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's mandate that individuals buy insurance could spur further action to dismantle the health law.

CBO and JCT added that individual insurance consumer premiums would increase by 10 percent during this time.

But the CBO also estimated that the Trump administration's October 12 decision to stop making the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurers would result in 20 percent premium increases, Chris Sloan, a senior manager with health-care policy consulting firm Avalere Health, told me in an interview.